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Min Jin Lee Answers Your Questions!!!
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Pau Supanuntaroek:
I haven't finished the book yet but I'm really curious to know what are your thoughts on the male characters in the book? There are times when I got frustrated by their way of thinking (Yoseb, for instance, is very controlling of Kyunghee) but I understand that it is normal considering the time period and setting. I am particularly interested to know more about the significance of Hoonie's character.
Also, you wrote very vividly of all the details surrounding Korean's life in wartime Japan. How did you carry out the research for your book?
Dear Pau:
The male characters were very important to me. In fact, in my first version of this novel, the central characters were Mozasu and Solomon. Men and the women of larger novels can be exasperating and yet sympathetic—the way we can be sometimes. I think characters like Yoseb are good and well-intended even in their sexism; they are products of patriarchal thinking that is deeply embedded in their consciousness. I do not believe that most people who espouse patriarchal beliefs are malicious per se or consciously thinking that they are trying to oppress women. Very often, when I interview these kinds of men, they believe they are being benevolent rather than paternalistic and oppressive (though they clearly are). To me, before change can occur in a true way, one must understand a believer’s unconscious rationale and bias. As a feminist, I am trying to understand how men and women who prefer patriarchy think and believe. When I get a sense of their point of view, I put this in narrative, because I want the reader to come to her or his conclusion. I think readers are very fair, far more fair, than non-readers.
Yours,
Min
Dorothy:
When you were doing researches and interviews in Japan, have you come across stories of Chinese people living in Japan? If there is any, are their experiences very much the same as those of the Koreans?
Dear Dorothy,
In my research, I did learn some of the history of the Chinese in Japan, and consequently, I have a character who is Chinese-Japanese in the novel who is arrested and persecuted for his Christian faith. Japan colonized many Asian countries in their expansive efforts during the early 20th century, and colonialism always creates surprising migration and settlement patterns. As you may know, there are many Chinese-Japanese people in Japan now, and some can go back several generations, and there are new Chinese immigrants in Japan today. Thank you.
Yours,
Min
INSTAGRAM QUESTIONS
Wavawave:
I am so amazed with everything written in the novel, the characters, the plot, historical fact. The one that I wanna know the most is do you ever met with Japanese reader? How's their reaction toward the fact that Japan's society was so cruel back then to other races?
Hello, @wavawava
I meet Japanese readers often. They attend book events, and they have been enormously gracious. The history presented in this book has been verified, and scholars around the world agree on the basic facts of the colonial history of the Japanese. That said, I want to recognize that the present generation is *not* responsible for the behaviour of their grandparents or great-grandparents. We are all responsible however, I think, of knowing our histories, and not denying the true record. Thus far, I have only had support from the Korean-Japanese people and those of Japanese ethnicity.
Yours,
Min
Misiaontherocks:
How do you think Asian Feminism can influence the spectrum debate of the "mainstream feminism"? How can we "integrate" migrant women on feminism?
Dear @Misiaontherocks
I think women of color change feminism and our movement just by showing up and speaking. I believe that the goal of feminism is the liberation of all women from sexist oppression, and the goal of that liberation is to work toward a collective good for all, especially for the next generation and the Earth. I care immensely about the lives of migrant women of all socioeconomic classes, and I want to be sensitive to the fact that we come from different cultures, faiths, and family networks, therefore, to move toward economic and political liberation, we must have cultural liberation. I hope that we can have a growing global sisterhood that is far more inclusive than what we have now.
Yours,
Min
Kristimichel29:
What was your inspiration for all the strong women in the book?
Dear @Kristimichel29:
I was deeply inspired by the women who work in the open markets of Asia. I wanted to know more about their lives, and witness their labor in the support of the next generation.
Yours,
Min
Isareads:
Yumi was one of my favourite characters but she felt under-utilised. Was there a moral to her story? Or was she just there to bring in a new generation?
Dear @Isareads
I love Yumi’s character because she yearns for what is almost impossible. It upset me when she died. She was important, I think, not just as a bridge, but also because her brief life was so much like the brief lives of so very many poor Korean women. I was struck by how many Korean women died in Japan, and I wanted to record deaths like hers, which followed the intensity of such dreams. Her dreams are carried out in the life of her son, and this intergenerational legacy was important to me in the narrative.
Yours,
Min
Mod
We would like to say a huge thank you to Min Jin Lee for answering lots of our questions about Pachinko!
Please read the Q&A below...
A big thank you to everyone who sent a question :)
Toska:
1) Why did Noa continue to visit Isaek's grave?
2) Why did he commit suicide or in general why did he feel the need to stop his connection to his family?
3) What is the message that you are aiming with this story/book?
4) Would you describe Sunja as a feminist?
Dear Toska:
Sunja is a feminist. I believe that most women believe in equity in pay, healthcare, and treatment in the workplace and in our private spheres. Of course, modern feminism can be and should be a more complex and nuanced political paradigm; however, I think this idea of equity serves as a foundation for most women, whatever their political orientation. Sunja may not have seen herself or called herself in such terms. However, her behaviour speaks for her ideals. Sunja did not hold herself back from the public sphere when she needed to care for herself and her family, going against the patriarchal paradigms in which she was raised. In this sense, she was as radical as most modern feminists.
Yours,
Min
Florian:
1) What did you wanted to express by "history has failed us, but no matter."? That is a question OSS Team asked us and there many answers but I'd like to know yours.
Dear Florian:
The discipline of history requires primary documentation in order to have human interpretation. The great flaw in this legitimate field is that so many people could not have left primary documents, artifacts, or records of their lives. We know all kinds of people existed; however, we do not know their lives, especially the interior lives, of most people in the world. Historians are very often deeply enlightened individuals who have sacrificed for their work; however, they must be faithful to the demands of their discipline and provide evidence to support their interpretative claims. Hence, I believe that history has failed us. Nevertheless, it is of no matter, because all of us who have not been recorded continued to live, flourish, and are remembered. This is our collective claim.
Yours,
Min
Iirma:
I am interested and curious to know why Min Jin Lee chose Sunja as the central character. There is a sense of watching the delicate machinery of life as the reader follows the plot focusing from one character to the next, and Sunja is our focal point for the majority of the books' span. Why is Sunja the protagonist and not any of the other characters in the book?
Dear Iirma,
In the earlier drafts of this novel, which I have long-since discarded, the central character was Solomon, Sunja’s grandson. That version of the novel was awful. After I moved to Japan and began my field work and interviews, I realized that Solomon’s ancestors were far more compelling, so I started to write a new novel based on Sunja’s journey. Above all, I wanted to write a kind of community biography, or fictional history, of the Korean-Japanese people, and Sunja was, for me, the most authentic character because of her quiet resilience.
Yours,
Min
AnaPau:
Who was the most challenging character to write?
Dear AnaPau,
I had great difficulty initially with Totoyama, Mozasu’s friend. Then after a great deal of field work and interviews in Osaka and Tokyo, I felt freer to write him.
Yours,
Min
Leelynn:
How do you feel about Pachinko being adapted on film? Are you involved in that project the way you would like?
Hi, Leelynn
Apple TV ordered a series of episodes of Pachinko for its new streaming service. I have not been asked to be involved with the production, and I do not know what will happen to the show.
Yours,
Min
Jen:
Which character, if any, do you most identify with in Pachinko?
Dear Jen,
My favorite character is Hansu, because for a project which consumed decades of my life, Hansu gave me great pleasure when I worked. Strong characters are fun to write. However, I don’t identify with him, because he is capable of immense cruelty. Also, I am not a cynical person. I don’t identify with anyone in particular if that makes any sense. I identify with the narrative of this community, and I think that allows me to work on it in an integrated fashion.
Yours,
Min
Mindy:
I wondered if you considered leaving off some of the endings and writing a sequel to continue the stories and characters a little further. Also, I would love a sequel. It is a beautiful book.
Hi, Mindy
Thank you for your kind words. I cannot imagine a sequel to this book. It took such a long time to research, because it is a very small community with a complicated history. I am so very glad that I finished the book, and I was able to share it through publication.
Yours,
Min
Helena:
As a metaphor for life, what do you think is ultimately the meaning of “Pachinko” in the book?
Dear Helena,
The game of pachinko is a game of chance, which is routinely tweaked to benefit the parlor owner. Consequently, it is a game of chance and a game of design. I think life can seem random and purposeful, and though the average person knows the inequity of life, the average person must play by the known and unknown rules. For me, this was the difficult metaphor of the plight of the Korean-Japanese people, who had to deal with the decisions of governments and communities that did not consider their interests.
Yours,
Min
Abi
Pachinko had a really big impact on me. The issue of identity hit close to home and I recently found out about my grandmother's life during the Japanese occupation and Korean War. Pachinko seems to me a story shared by an entire community and across generations, and I was wondering how you balanced between writing a fictitious story and staying true to history (also since a lot of the only available information recorded by Imperial Japan at that time was distorted and misleading)? I'm also curious to know if in the process of writing you found it difficult to go on because of all the hardship and sorrow faced by the characters (who might have been real) that you'd written. Pachinko was a very emotional read so I'm interested to know if you had any blocks on the road to finishing it. Thank you so much for writing this book and including so many small and yet very distinct experiences unique to the culture!!
Dear Abi,
Thank you for this thoughtful question. I think you sensed my heartbreak in writing this work. This book took a long time because the research was hard, and there were so many impediments. What kept me going was believing in the testimonies of the survivors and their descendants and their interpretation of what had happened to them rather than what was recorded by the governments. Colonized people so rarely get to interpret their lived experiences, so I forced myself to really listen to the people I interviewed and to look at the records with greater scrutiny of motives. I found myself deeply depressed at times, because it is so apparent to me that in order to colonize any group, one dehumanizes them systematically. The more I read of how all people are complicit in the larger problem of evil, the sadder I felt. That said, I thought that if I could write something decent and fair, then I would have done my very small part. I believe in the existence of good and evil, and I know others do not. I believe that we can do some good, and that we can avoid some evil.
Yours,
Min
Jelena:
As part of my Masters course, I've been studying Korean migrant communities and their histories in several countries. I'm currently writing a paper on the Zainichi Koreans and was wondering why Min Jin Lee chose to end the story in 1989? Also, education is a recurrent theme in the novel, but there is very little mention of ethnic Korean education, was this for a reason?
Dear Jelena
I chose to end the story at 1989 for personal reasons. I learned about the history of the Korean Japanese people in 1989, so for me to end it then, was to come full circle. As for education, you are correct, it is a recurring theme, and I will be addressing the value of education for Koreans around the world in my next novel, American Hagwon. As for ethnic Korean education, if I understand the term that you intend, as you know, there are at least four strains of education (Mindan, Chongryun, Japanese, and International schools) for Koreans in Japan, relating to the three political identities—Mindan, Chongryun, or assimilated Japanese—and though I touch on these topics lightly, I chose not to go through it in depth in this novel. Thank you.
Yours,
Min
Judit:
My question would be: How did you know that you need to end the story right where you did?
Dear Judit:
I felt that it was important that the reader recall Noa’s intense, lingering wish to have a good father as he lived knowing that his biological father was not the one he wanted. This recognition/revelation required the scene where Sunja visits the cemetary to tidy the gravesite, a very common practice for Koreans. As you know, there are many rituals relating to death and memory for so many cultures. When she goes to the cemetary, I wanted the reader to learn along with Sunja that her son had not forgotten his history or wish. Thank you.
Yours,
Min
Anu Priya:
In your mind, do you think Sunja is a survivalist when it comes to her kids? Or is she accepting the offer of Koh Hansu's help because of the love she has for him?
Dear Anu:
Sunja seeks to survive with integrity in a very unfair world, and she refuses to accept Hansu’s help until she feels she has reached the limits of her abilities. She is deeply pragmatic, the way so many women like her have to be; however, I believe that the feelings that a person has for someone she once loved profoundly cannot be eradicated fully. I think traces of feeling linger and are like dying embers, vulnerable to oxygen and reignition.
Yours,
Min
Rose:
Are you proficient in Korean? If so, how much of a role, if any, did you play in writing the Korean translated version of the book? Are there parts of the story or characterization that you think are harder to express in one language vs. the other?
Also, how were you able to balance the four(?) generations and keep everything organized so that there were interactions but it didn't get too confusing to follow?
Dear Rose,
I do not speak, read, or write Korean well. I left Korea when I was seven, and I do not have a formal Korean education. That said, I do understand spoken Korean at a basic level. Whenever I reach the limits of what I can do, I hire translators for written and spoken work.
I am a fairly organized person, and I think in a very structured and logical way. That said, for this complex writing project, I found help in a writing software called Scrivener. This software is used often by academics and non-fiction long-form writers to organize their material. I recommend it for anyone who might want that kind of support for heavy research-based writing manuscripts. I use Word normally for shorter writing projects.
Yours,
Min